


Just Putting It Out There

by roe87



Series: Winterhawk [2]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Dating, Domestic Avengers, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Grumpy Bucky Barnes, Humor, M/M, Making Out, Minor Natasha Romanov/Sam Wilson, Questioning, Speed Dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-03-29 23:09:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19029850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roe87/pseuds/roe87
Summary: It's time for Bucky to get back out in the dating world and meet new people.At least, that's what his friends think.Except Bucky would much rather hang out with Clint...





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bear_shark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bear_shark/gifts).



> For Bear Shark, I hope you like it ❤
> 
>  
> 
> ~

 

 

 

Sam and Natasha cornered Bucky post mission in their team locker room.

Bucky had just been minding his own business, looking at his phone as he inhaled a protein shake, when Natasha swept in from the right, Sam from the left: they planted themselves on the bench opposite him and leaned forward with intent.

Bucky stopped sucking his shake and looked at them. "Yes?"

"We have something to suggest," Sam said, gentle but firm. He'd proven to be a loyal friend in the last few months, but he didn't take any of Bucky's shit either.

"I've already told you," Bucky quipped, "I don't like quinoa. It gets stuck in my teeth."

Sam pressed his lips into a flat line. "This isn't about quinoa."

"We think," Nat said pleasantly, "that it's time you start dating."

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

Bucky raised an eyebrow at them. "Is this your not so subtle way of inviting me into a threesome?"

Nat broke into an amused smile, while Sam scoffed.

"No, Barnes," he said. "We're telling you it's time to put yourself out there. Meet new people."

"I meet plenty of people," Bucky replied, though he felt dread settle in his gut at the thought. "I don't have time to date, anyway."

"That's why I've rota'd you in for two weeks off," Nat said with a smug smile. "So take some time, connect with someone new."

"Or multiple someones," Sam added. "It doesn't matter, but just get out there. Enjoy yourself. Live a little."

Bucky bit his lip to stop the pout.

He didn't particularly want to meet new people, but it looked like he'd have to do something to get his well intentioned friends off his back.

"Alright," he said. "I'll go on some dates."

"Great!" Nat looked thrilled. "And try to have fun, okay?"

Bucky forced a smile. "I'll try."

 

 

Now he had enforced leave of two weeks, and was ordered to leave the Avengers compound by Natasha, Bucky had a lot of spare time on his hands and no one to spend it with.

It wasn't that being alone was a problem... except, it kind of was. If Bucky was alone too long he found it all too easy to slip back into a quiet, dissociative state, and he didn't want to get inside his own head too much.

So, thinking practically, Bucky made plans to fill up his time with other people: as many as he could cram into the two weeks as possible. He'd been pretty good at dating in the past, if he recalled, but that'd been so much effort back then.

Like, spend an entire evening with one person? A stranger? Bucky didn't have the energy reserves to entertain anyone for that long, not anymore.

What did a lazy guy do for dates, then?

Bucky used the Internet, and discovered speed dating. Several dates in a short space of time. That seemed like a good idea: maximum coverage, minimum input.

And less time for normal people to get freaked out by him, too.

Bucky didn't sign up for any events, he figured he could make his own by arranging dates by time slots. This took him the better part of the first week, and he revelled in the planning and the organisation.

In fact, he was pretty proud of himself for mastering dating apps and arranging nine dates for Friday, and another ten for Saturday.

By the time Friday came, he had a mild panic about it all, but he'd come this far and he figured how hard could it be? All he had to do was show up, and cope for around forty minutes for each date.

He showered and dressed in his nice civilian clothes: jeans that were relatively new, a hoodie that was clean, and his favorite leather jacket.

He even brushed out his hair.

Then he left his hotel and made his way across town to the bar in Bed Stuy that he'd picked out.

Time for round one.

 

 

~

 

 

When Clint came off a long mission away, the first thing he liked to do was go home and see Lucky, then walk down to his favorite bar and grab a beer, maybe play some darts to wind down.

What he wasn't expecting to see as he walked in the little craft beer bar was the winter soldier himself sitting at one of the back booths. He was with someone Clint didn't recognise, and it looked like they might even be on a date, so Clint didn't interrupt.

He headed straight to the bar and ordered himself a tray of tasters for the new beers on tap. All Clint wanted was a nice, quiet day, probably ending with pizza on the couch later.

While his beer was being poured, Clint subtly looked over at Barnes and his companion. She seemed like a civilian at first glance, and also seemed pissed on closer inspection.

She was in the process of tapping away on her phone, resolutely not looking at Barnes, while he fiddled with the glass of beer in front of him.

Clint didn't mean to be nosy, but, well. He was. So he watched it all unfold as the woman, whoever she was, picked up her coat and left with a curt goodbye. Barnes heaved a big sigh after she'd gone.

Clearly that hadn't ended well.

Clint smothered a grin, paid for his beers and picked up the wooden tray with his quarter glasses in. He headed over to Barnes, giving the guy plenty of time to see his approach and hopefully recognise him.

"Hey," Clint said as he neared the table. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Hey," Barnes replied, looking up at him with a quiet look of shock. "What're you doing here?"

"I live round here," Clint explained. "Just got back from a mission, and fancied myself a beer."

"Oh." Barnes visibly relaxed. "I thought... never mind."

"Thought what?" Clint asked.

Barnes shrugged. "Thought they'd sent you to check up on me."

"No, I'm just hanging out." Clint acted on impulse and slid his ass into the empty seat opposite. "You alright?"

Barnes nodded, and went back to staring sadly at his glass.

"Date went that well, huh?" Clint teased, and picked out his first quarter glass for a taste of beer. "I didn't mean to snoop, man, but I saw her storm off."

"Oh." Barnes half-smiled. "She was alright, I'm just tired. That was my seventh awful date today."

Clint poked a finger to his ear and tapped his hearing aid. Yeah, it was still working. "Seven?" he clarified.

"Yeah."

"Seven dates _today?_ "

Barnes shrugged a shoulder. "Kind of like speed dating?"

"Oh, right, yeah." Clint frowned, still confused. "That just sounds so tiring."

"It is." Barnes sagged in his seat, looking truly defeated. "And there's still two more to go."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic."

"I'm not," Barnes sighed.

Clint took pity on him. "Wanna play darts? Loser buys the next round."

Barnes looked up in surprise, and Clint wasn't sure he'd say yes, but then Barnes nodded eagerly.

"Yes. That sounds good."

 

 

 

 


	2. Two

 

 

Bucky had fun with Clint.

Definitely more fun than he would've had on two more speed dates, anyway. He'd fired off quick texts to both, asking one to show up later and the second to show up earlier. Hopefully they could have a date together and hit it off, but Bucky figured he'd done them both a favor by not being there himself.

Dating was tiring, and he'd forgotten just how tiring. So escaping to play darts and drink beer was exactly what Bucky needed.

Especially when he won at darts.

"This isn't a fair match," Clint pointed out, but he was full of smiles. He seemed to be enjoying himself too.

"Shall I close my eyes?" Bucky grinned, holding a dart between his metal fingers. "Best three out of five?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "Okay, one more game, man. But you gotta use your right hand, and close your eyes."

Bucky moved the dart to his right hand. "Deal." He looked at the dart board over on the wall to take aim, then closed his eyes.

"No peeking," Clint piped up.

"I'm not." Bucky kept his eyes closed, and tossed the dart.

By the sound of Clint's groan, Bucky figured he'd gotten a good shot. He threw the remaining two of his darts, then opened his eyes.

All three pretty close to bullseye. Not bad, he thought.

"Alright, my turn." Clint shooed him aside and set his beer down. "Watch this," he said, grabbing three darts and giving Bucky a smug grin.

Bucky did watch, and smiled as Clint turned his back to the dartboard.

"The board's that way," Bucky teased.

"Just you wait." Clint shook himself down to prepare, then glanced once over his shoulder at the dart board. "Here goes. Make sure no one walks behind me."

"Will do," Bucky said, and turned to watch the dartboard.

Clint faced away from the dartboard, then tossed a dart behind him. Bucky watched in surprise as the dart landed in the bullseye.

"Not bad," Bucky said, amused. "Can you do it again?"

Clint threw the next dart, and the third right after it. Both hit the dartboard close to bullseye.

"Nice," Bucky said, as Clint turned around and gave him a dopey smile. "How are you better at this looking _away_ from the dartboard?"

Clint shrugged, but he was still grinning. "Circus tricks. Wait till you see what I can do with an apple on your head."

"Wait, you were in the circus?" Bucky asked, as they headed back to the bar. "Like, the actual circus?"

"Yeah, grew up in the circus," Clint said easily.

Bucky's mind shot several places at once, remembering snatches of circus trips and fairground visits in New York when he was younger, to more modern circuses he'd seen on the TV now.

He wet his lips in thought, wanting to ask a hundred questions but unsure if that would be intrusive.

Then his lizard brain took over and Bucky found himself blurting out, "Did you wear a sparkly costume?"

Clint laughed, picking up his new glass of beer for a sip. "Man, you don't wanna know."

Bucky did want to know, actually, but he figured he should nip that in the bud. He didn't know Clint that well yet, and wasn't even sure which way he swung. Bucky was acutely aware that he used to be a lot better at this, at talking to people and figuring out who or what they liked, but...

Well, things changed. He didn't feel confident enough to risk it, right now. Besides, it was nice just hanging out on a friendly basis.

The pool table was free, and Clint seemed eager for a game.

"Do you think your dates have left yet?" Clint asked, handing Bucky a pool cue.

"God, I hope so," Bucky sighed. He stood and watched as Clint fed a coin into the slot, releasing the balls.

"Are they dating app dates?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"So, civilians?" Clint guessed, setting the table with the triangle.

Bucky shrugged. "As far as I know, yeah."

Clint whistled lowly. "Man, that's always tricky. Dating civilians." He removed the triangle from the balls. "You wanna break?"

"I don't mind."

"I'll break, then." Clint smiled at him. "It's my favorite part."

Bucky watched him lean over the table and aim his cue. Clint took his time, then when he made the break the balls shot across the table into all the good spots.

"Nice break," Bucky commented.

Clint grinned, and gestured for Bucky to go first.

Well, here goes, Bucky thought, as he stepped up to the table. Try not to be _too_ gay about it.

Bucky leaned in and focused on his shot. He took his time, and potted his first ball.

Clint whistled again, clearly impressed. "You play pool much?"

"Not a lot," Bucky admitted. He liked it, though, and not only because the table allowed for sexy leaning over poses every time, but because it was a game of math and angles. Bucky liked math.

It seemed Clint was good at math too, but being a sniper too that made sense. They played a very close game, and Bucky watched intently whenever Clint leaned on the table and lined up a shot.

"I should get you more drunk," Bucky said, as Clint potted his last balls and won the game.

Clint laughed, and set his pool cue aside to take off his jacket. "Now, that is a good idea. Fair warning, though, I get better at pool the more drunk I am."

Bucky huffed a laugh. "I'll believe that when I see it."

 

Into their second game, jackets off and more beers consumed, Bucky conceded that Clint may have been right about being better when drunk.

He got sillier too, showboating the shots and using fancy cue tricks. It was fun, Bucky found himself smiling a lot.

He still intended to beat Clint's ass, though, and alcohol didn't affect him as much because of the serum, so he was the more sober party.

"Can I ask you something?" Clint drawled, as he chalked his cue tip.

Bucky raised his eyebrows, standing with his cue held in front of him. "If you want."

"Okay, so, why did you arrange so many dates for yourself all in one day?" Clint asked. "You a glutton for punishment, or what?"

"Oh, um." Bucky looked at the floor, feeling like an idiot. "I thought doing it like that would be easier."

"And was it?"

Bucky shook his head with a laugh. "No. No, it wasn't."

"Well, at least now you know," Clint chuckled, and leaned down to take a shot.

"Except I have another ten dates lined up tomorrow," Bucky said.

Clint paused his shot and looked up at Bucky. "Say what?"

"I have another ten dates lined up––"

"No, I heard you," Clint laughed. "I just... _dude_. Ten? Really?"

"Yeah," Bucky sighed. "I thought if I got it all out of the way quickly, you know? Then I can relax."

Clint frowned in confusion, and sat on the edge of the pool table. "I don't follow. Is this about what you said earlier? About me being sent to check up on you?"

Bucky pulled a face. "Sorta. I was given two weeks off and told to go on dates."

"Let me guess, well meaning friends?"

"How'd you..." Bucky frowned. "Did they tell you?"

"No." Clint chuckled, and shook his head. "But I've been on the receiving end of things like that before. I don't think I ever went on _twenty dates_ in two days, though. Kudos, man."

"Huh," Bucky said, as Clint stood up to take his shot again. "So... it's not just me? Being told to go on dates?"

"Nah, man." Clint knocked his cue into the white, and potted two balls at once. "It's like some people can't bear to see other people being single, so they gotta get involved in your love life and try to pair you up."

"Oh." Bucky dropped his eyes, picking at his pool cue. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. In fact, he was starting to feel more and more pathetic the more he thought about dating.

Clint straightened up, setting his cue on the floor to wait. Bucky pulled himself together and walked around the table to look for his next shot.

Clint leaned on his cue, watching. He was quiet for a moment, then said, "Do you want to go on dates? With civilians, I mean?"

"Mmm..." Bucky's lips pressed into a flat line as he eyed up the balls.

Clint chuckled. "What the fuck did you talk about on your seven dates anyway?"

Bucky leaned over the table to line up his shot. "Just the usual. Hello, what's your name. What do you do, what do you like. That sort of stuff."

"Ah, yeah, gotta love small talk," Clint said dryly, watching as Bucky took aim. "What did you tell them _you_ did?"

Bucky paused, feeling embarrassed all over again. "Well, I had to lie, say I was in special ops, and shit like that."

"Fair," Clint said. "And, just because I'm curious, what do you _like_? Besides guns, black leather, and knives, of course."

Bucky glanced up from the table and gave Clint a flat look. "I like hair masks."

"What?" Clint spluttered, breaking into a grin. "What're those?"

"It's like gooey conditioner you put on your hair," Bucky explained, "and you leave it for a few minutes. Makes your hair super soft."

"Oh, right." Clint guffawed. "I thought you meant, like, your domino mask to wear in your hair."

Bucky smirked. "No, because that makes no sense."

"It did in my head."

"That's because you're drunk," Bucky pointed out, and took his shot. "I win. One more game?"

"Sure." Clint smiled at him. "One more game."

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A heads up for a brief moment where Bucky gets a scare. Full notes/spoilers for that scene in chapter End Notes.  
> Thanks
> 
> ~

 

 

"C'mon, man," Clint said, late into the evening. "Let's go get a slice of pizza. There's only so many bar snacks a man can eat."

Bucky figured he could eat. He'd already demolished the four protein bars in his pockets, so he was all out.

They'd mostly drawn even on pool games anyway. It'd been fun.

Bucky picked up their jackets and tossed Clint's to him. Clint's reflexes were still there but his eyes were half closed as he caught it, and he needed help getting the jacket on.

"Someone's gotta sober up," Bucky commented, patting Clint on the back.

"Who, me?" Clint laughed, leading the way out the bar, and tripping over the last step. He held out his hands as he righted himself. "I'm okay."

"You know any good pizza place round here?" Bucky asked, pulling out his phone. "Or shall I look it up?"

"Don't worry, man, there's one near my block." Clint pointed down the street and ambled along. "This way."

Bucky followed.

It was dark now, with the street lights on and traffic still blowing their horns on streets nearby. Clint took them to a small Italian bistro and strolled up to the counter to chat with the staff.

They seemed to know him, and as they spoke Bucky took a cursory look around the bistro. It was jam packed. They'd be waiting ages on a table, or have to take their slices out in the street to eat.

Clint turned to him and gestured up at the chalk board menu. "What you getting?"

"Um..." Bucky scanned the menu with lots of hipster names and toppings. He shrugged. "Pepperoni is good for me."

"Okay," Clint said. "How many boxes? 'Cause I'm getting two."

Bucky raised his eyebrows minutely. He figured he'd be taking the pizza back to his hotel room, then.

"I'll take two boxes too," he said. That ought to see him through the evening.

Clint ordered their pizzas, while Bucky dug in his wallet for money. They paid together, and left a tip. Clint suggested they wait outside, which Bucky was more than glad to do.

Small, noisy places with lots of people weren't high up on his list of things he enjoyed.

"You live round here?" Clint asked, as they perched on a window ledge.

"No, at the compound," Bucky said.

"Oh." Clint nodded. "You headed back there later?"

"No, I got a hotel room."

"Oh, did you." Clint gave him a knowing grin, and waggled his eyebrows.

"No, not for that." Bucky smiled, and felt his cheeks flame up. "If I wanted that, I wouldn't have bothered with the dates, I'd just use different apps."

Clint was quiet a moment, and when Bucky glanced over he had a thoughtful frown in place. "So..." Clint started, like he was trying to work things out in his head, "you... _did_ want to go on a date?"

Bucky exhaled. "I guess?"

"Ah, I see," Clint said. "What sort of date would be a good date, in your opinion?"

Bucky opened his mouth but stopped short of saying _something like this_ , because that could be taken any number of ways. "Nothing formal," he said. "Just hang out, you know? And it'd be good to have something in common, so I don't feel like a complete idiot lying about stuff."

"Makes sense," Clint said. "Hey, do you use the compound's shooting range?"

"Um, sometimes?"

"Okay, so, next time you go down there," Clint explained, "the girls at the armory are totally into it if you show off a bit."

"Oh?" Bucky'd had no idea. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd gone there and seen anyone else about. He tended to avoid other people, or they avoided him.

"Is that what you do?" he asked, to deflect.

Clint laughed in response. "I have been known to, yes. If I could be bothered I'd go down there now and show you."

"I don't think they'd let you near a firearm this drunk," Bucky pointed out.

"It's fine." Clint waved off his concern. "All I wanna do is eat pizza on my couch."

"Right."

Bucky figured that was his cue to leave, that their time together was at an end. He felt kind of sad at that, but it'd been a nice time. Maybe he'd even made a new friend tonight.

The pizzas were ready, and they each took their boxes, warm to hold in the cool night air.

"So, uh, get home safe," Bucky said, shifting awkwardly. "I'll see you at the compound some time?"

"What? Don't you want to come and watch a movie?" Clint said, like it was obvious. "Come meet my dog."

"You have a dog?"

"Yeah, and he loves to slobber on new people. Come on." He strode off, and Bucky hurried to catch up beside him.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Just call an Uber later. Unless," Clint turned to grin at him, "you're eager to get back to your hotel? Is there a hot tub?"

Bucky snorted. "There's no hot tub. It's a dump, actually."

"In that case, may as well sit in _my_ dump and watch movies." Clint chuckled. "Oh, and watch your pizza. The dog likes to steal slices when you aren't looking."

 

 

~

 

 

"Just out of interest," Bucky said, flicking through Clint's streaming files on the laptop, "what does _yell in bi_ mean?"

"Oh, it's movies," Clint said, finishing his last slice of pizza and wiping his hands on his jeans. "Where both the lead actors are so hot they make you yell in bisexual just watching the screen."

Bucky looked at Clint. "Is that a reference, or are you saying you're bisexual?"

"Um..." Clint blinked back at him, still quite drunk. He had pizza sauce down his t-shirt. "I'm bi. You didn't know that?"

"Nope," Bucky said. "Okay." He turned back to the laptop, wanting to see the movies listed under this interesting file name.

"It's not a problem, is it?" Clint asked.

"It's not a problem," Bucky said, looking at the laptop screen. "Anyway, I think I'm gay. Or bi, I could never really figure it out."

"Oh." Clint sounded surprised. "Well, damn, I wish you'd said. I've been trying to act straight all night."

"You were bending over the pool table at every opportunity," Bucky pointed out.

"So were you."

Bucky snickered because, yeah, he had.

"So... what sort of movies will make me yell in bi?" He read the list, but didn't know what the titles were. The Mummy, Desperado, Batman Forever...

"Most of these have explosions and shit in them," Clint advised. "I made this list years ago."

"I'm okay with explosions," Bucky said. "What's Batman Forever?"

"It's a dude in a tight black rubber suit, fighting crime," Clint explained. "Or, in this version, fighting Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey."

"I don't know who they are," Bucky said. "But sounds cool. I'm in."

They tidied away the pizza boxes, so Clint could let Lucky the dog back into the living room. Lucky was very friendly, and sat on the couch between them with his paws and tail all tucked under him.

Clint produced two glasses and a bottle of bourbon, killed the lights and started the movie. Bucky sipped on the bourbon as the credits rolled, snickering a little at how dramatic it was.

Then the screen was filled with close up shots of a man's round ass in tight black rubber, then his thighs, and his crotch as he got dressed. Bucky's mouth dropped open.

"Shit," he whispered reverently.

"Right?" Clint chuckled, and held up his glass to toast. "I'll drink to that."

"Yeah!" Bucky touched his glass to Clint's and drank.

Once the Batman guy was dressed, the camera zoomed in on his pouty lips when he spoke, and Bucky declared, "I'm gay."

Clint laughed. "The nineties were great, man."

The movie was dramatic in a fun way, which was exactly what Bucky preferred. Then the next thing he knew there was a hot blonde woman beating the shit out of a punching bag, and Bucky amended, "Okay, I'm bi."

"See, this is why the movie is listed under yell in bi," Clint told him, raising his glass again.

They toasted again, and watched the movie. They talked and laughed enough that Lucky got annoyed with them for making so much noise, and he got off the couch to go curl up in his dogbed across the room.

"Aw, come back," Bucky pleaded.

Clint waved a hand. "He's fine. He gets too hot on the couch anyway."

"Aw..." Bucky started, then got distracted by the newcomer onscreen. "Wait, what? Isn't he a bit old to be a sidekick?"

"Yeah, but he has to be an adult in this," Clint explained. "You'll see when he gets in his costume. The codpiece is enormous."

"Oh." Bucky licked his lips. "Codpieces are pretty cool. Why don't more guys were them?"

"I don't know," Clint laughed. "It should be a thing."

"It should."

 

By the time Batman and Robin got their act together and suited up for the final showdown, Bucky was in a bit of a situation.

The bourbon had made him a bit drunk, and staring at hot people in tight, revealing outfits for nearly two hours would get anyone horny, he reasoned. So the fact that he was hard wasn't completely his fault, and he wriggled on the couch trying to get comfortable in his constricting jeans.

Perhaps he wasn't being as subtle as he thought he was, because Clint started wriggling too. Then he moved a little closer and rested his leg against Bucky's.

 _Oh_.

Bucky wasn't totally clueless, he could read signals. He pushed his leg back against Clint's, and angled his body toward him.

Clint copied his movement, turning slowly to him.

Over the course of a few short minutes that stretched out longer with all the anticipation he felt, Bucky shuffled closer and closer, until he was brave enough to lean into Clint and angle his face up.

Clint met him in a kiss, and Bucky sighed into it.

God, he hadn't been kissed in forever, and Clint had very nice lips.

The kiss soon grew heated, fuelled by alcohol and want. They made out, with tongue, and Clint moved a hand down to grope at Bucky's ass.

Bucky took the cue and broke the kiss so he could get into Clint's lap and straddle him. Clint looked up at him with something like wonder in his eyes, and Bucky leaned down to capture his mouth in another kiss.

Now they could kiss and grind, which was pretty awesome. Bucky was so turned on he didn't know how much longer he'd last, when a noise caught his attention and he pulled his mouth away from Clint, eyes darting around the room to locate the noise.

The apartment door was being unlocked.

Bucky didn't have time to process before his instincts kicked in: he rolled away onto the floor and pulled out a knife, getting into a defensive crouch.

"It's my roommate," Clint said calmly, standing up and holding out his hands in a placating gesture. "It's my roommate, it's Kate. Stand down."

The apartment door opened and two young women strolled in, chatting casually.

Bucky hid his knife quickly, feeling all kinds of embarrassed.

Lucky, still in his dogbed but looking around at all of them, started whimpering.

"It's okay," Clint soothed, looking at Lucky. "Don't worry, just a misunderstanding."

"Hey, Barton," one of the girls said, setting her bag down. "Oh. Hey, Barton's friend."

Bucky got to his feet and stared at the floor, thoroughly ashamed of himself.

"Hey, Kate," Clint replied, giving a casual wave like nothing weird had just happened. "Hey, America. This is Bucky, we work together."

The two girls gave Bucky the once over, and said, "Hey," at the same time. Then they trailed into the kitchen area, clearly more interested in food than in talking to them.

Clint looked over at Bucky, and took a cautious step closer. "Hey, man," he said quietly. "My bad. I should've mentioned I had a roommate. It just slips my mind, you know? She takes care of Lucky when I'm not around."

Bucky nodded.

It made perfect sense, of course people had roommates. He was just a freak. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Hope I didn't upset your dog."

"Oh, he's fine," Clint insisted, then crouched down to pat his leg. "Aren't you, boy? Come here."

Lucky dutifully got up and trotted over to Clint for a head scratch.

"You wanna pet him?" Clint asked. "He's pretty good for, you know, calming down and stuff."

"Um, no, I... I better go," Bucky said, desperate to be alone. "I'll see you at the compound."

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Clint asked, standing up again. "We haven't finished the movie."

Bucky grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. "Maybe another time." He gave Clint an apologetic smile, without meeting his eyes. "See you round."

Then he hightailed it out of there without looking back, still licking the taste of Clint from his lips.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes for warning in full:
> 
> During a make-out session, Bucky gets spooked by Clint's roommate coming home, and pulls out his knife (with no one else near him), before being talked down.  
> No violence in the chapter.
> 
> ~


	4. Four

 

 

 

"Well?" Natasha asked, having found Bucky lurking in the locker room.

He really had to start lurking somewhere else in the compound if he wanted to get any peace and quiet.

"Well, what?" he stalled.

His two weeks of exile were up, so he'd come back to work. Nat hadn't messaged him during his time off, and this was the first he'd see her, or anyone else, from work, for well over a week.

"How was your mini vacation?" she asked, sitting down on the bench next to him.

Bucky put away his phone. He'd only been watching cat videos on Instagram.

"It was alright," he mumbled.

"So?" she pressed, leaning in eagerly. "Any gossip for me?"

Bucky tensed, worried that she knew about Clint already, but he forced himself to relax. He was calm and collected, he told himself. Nothing to see here. "Gossip?" he said, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah." She grinned. "Did you go on any dates like I suggested?"

"Oh," Bucky said, relieved that she didn't know yet. "Actually, I did."

Natasha's eyebrows hiked up to her hairline. " _Really?_ "

"No need to sound so shocked," Bucky drawled.

"Sorry," she replied with a shrug. "It's just, I was kind of expecting you to have booked yourself into a spa for two weeks and totally ignore all my good advice. That's all."

Bucky pictured himself in a hot mud bath (with plastic wrap over his metal arm), a hair mask in his hair and cucumber slices over his eyes.

Why hadn't he done that, he thought. A spa would've been a much better idea than all those useless dates he'd cooked up.

Then again, if he'd spent two weeks in a spa, he wouldn't have bumped into Clint and...

Well.

"But you went on a date!" Nat said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "That's great! Tell me all about it."

"Uh..." Bucky started, with swooping dread in his gut as he remembered how he'd acted, and how embarrassed he'd been upon leaving Clint's apartment. He exhaled heavily. "I'm not sure it went so well."

"A second opinion can help," Nat said, gentle now. "If you want."

"Yeah, actually..." Bucky turned on the bench to face Nat. "How do you know if someone likes you?"

"You can ask them." She smiled at him. "Being direct is often best."

"No, I mean..." Bucky frowned, struggling to get his thoughts in order. "I mean, how do you know if someone likes you for you? Not just for hooking up, I mean."

"Hm, well, that can be more complicated." Nat nodded slowly. "I still think being direct is best. And, if someone dodges you when you ask, then that's usually your answer."

"Uh. Right."

"Care to share?" she asked, bringing her knees up on the bench to hug them to her chest. She looked eager to listen to a story. "Tell me all about it."

Bucky huffed a laugh. "You really want to hear this?"

"Sure!" she insisted. "And, you know, maybe I can help you figure out how it went. Usually it's not as bad as you think."

"Ugh." Bucky winced. "No, it was pretty bad."

"Start from the beginning."

"Okay." He sighed. "So... we met in a bar, and we hung out for a while. Played some pool, drank some beer. It was fine."

"Go on," Nat urged.

"Then we got pizza and took it back to his place, and, um... made out on the couch."

"I'm not hearing a problem so far," Nat said.

"No, uh. Well, his roommate came home," Bucky explained, "and I got spooked. Then I left because... I felt embarrassed."

"Oh, I see." Nat nodded sagely. "Look, it happens. I've been assured that even civilians get spooked about stuff all the time. Dates can't always go perfectly."

"But do civilians pull out a knife when they get spooked?" Bucky said dryly. "I just felt bad, Nat. I panicked, I reacted. His roommate is basically a kid. I didn't want them to see me like that."

"But nothing bad happened?" Nat asked.

Bucky shook his head. "No, he talked me down, and I put the knife away before his roommate saw it. I hope."

"Oh." Nat sounded impressed. "He talked you down? That's good."

"Yeah. But I felt so bad. I totally ruined the mood."

"It happens." She shrugged. "I've done it. You just need someone who's understanding. Did he seem understanding?"

Bucky had been replaying the events of that night in his head over and over all week, but now Nat mentioned it, Bucky supposed that yes, Clint had seemed pretty understanding about it all.

Even suggesting that he pet Lucky to calm down.

"Um... yeah I guess he was. He asked me to stay, but I panicked and left."

"Have you spoken to him since?" Nat asked.

"No," Bucky said, and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Ugh. Am I an idiot?"

"Yes," Nat said flatly, "but that's not a deal breaker, I'm sure. Not with an ass like yours."

She was joking, but Bucky laughed all the same. Nat was good like that.

"From one fine ass to another, thanks, Nat."

"You're welcome," she chuckled. "Now, will you do me a favor?"

"Maybe. What?"

"Call him. Say hi," she said. "See how things are, and just go from there."

"Um, okay," Bucky agreed. "I guess I should speak to him."

"Great." She reached out and touched his arm in a friendly gesture. "I'm proud of you."

Bucky tried not to blush on the spot, but he did.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"No problem. Now, grab your gear," she said, getting to her feet. "You're transferring to Carol's team today, and you're going into space."

"What? Space?" Bucky felt excited and worried all at once. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No!" Nat laughed. "She needs another sniper, and your name came up. It's a pretty straightforward mission. Plus, you get to go to space!"

"Well, shit," Bucky mumbled, and started to get his things together.

 

 

Once Bucky had geared up, he strapped a rifle on his back and took his kit bag across the hanger, over to the other locker room.

That was where the space team were usually situated. Bucky knew a few of them, but not terribly well. He'd only met Carol herself a couple times, but she seemed nice.

He took a fortifying breath, and opened the door to the locker room. Several sets of eyes turned to look at him: a full team all geared up for battle. Some people Bucky recognised, some he didn't.

Carol was there in the back, talking to Nebula and Rhodey with a hologram projection in the air, which was likely their mission Intel.

That dude with the symbiote was over on the benches, laughing and joking with Deadpool and a woman Bucky didn't know.

 _Oh, God._ And there was Clint by the lockers, all suited up in tight black, with a quiver of arrows on his back and bow in hand. He smiled at Bucky, and gestured him over.

"Hey, man," he said softly as Bucky approached him. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Hm," Bucky said, because that was about the only sound he could make right now. He cleared his throat, and set down his bag.

This wasn't the ideal place to say, _sorry for running out on you_ , but who knew when an ideal time would present itself?

"Um," Bucky said, mostly addressing the floor because he was too shy to look up at Clint, "I'm sorry about, you know... ruining the other night."

"Don't sweat it," Clint said easily. "Hey, got you something." He dug inside his locker, and Bucky watched with surprise as Clint produced a small, flat white packet and handed it to him. "Here."

Bucky took it, and read the print on the front.

It was a hair mask, and a nice one, too.

He snorted a laugh, and looked up at Clint with a shy smile. "You shouldn't have."

Clint grinned back at him, and shrugged one shoulder. "You said you like 'em."

"I do. Thanks."

They spent a moment smiling stupidly and gazing into each other's eyes, and Bucky felt very happy, when Carol called out, "Everyone, eyes front for your mission brief!"

Moment broken, Bucky conceded that the mission had to come first, but maybe he would attempt to flirt with Clint again after.

Clint banged his locker shut, and they shuffled off with the rest of the team to go listen to Carol. He shot Bucky a smile, and nudged him with his hip when they stood next to each other during the briefing.

Bucky smiled.

Yeah, he was definitely asking Clint out on a date after this mission was over.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I thought about doing a smol epilogue for this, if anyone was interested?)


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Just a smol epilogue, hope you like it! Also shout out to bear shark for being awesome!)

 

_Post mission, in the locker room_

 

 

 

 

"Hey, I was gonna ask," Clint said, once they were sitting side by side on the bench, "did you go on all those other dates you had planned?"

Bucky pulled a face. "No, I did not."

Clint laughed quietly. "Not feeling it, huh?"

"No."

"I don't blame you, man." Clint reached up to scratch at his scalp. His hair was all spiky and gooey white with the hair mask.

Bucky's hair was wet and gooey too, but as his was long he'd had to wrap it up in a towel on his head.

"Um," Bucky started, and looked down at his hands as he wrung them together. "Actually, I was... gonna ask you... Do you wanna go on a date? With me?"

"You mean this isn't a date?" Clint chuckled, gesturing around the empty locker room.

Bucky smiled wryly. "Well... I've never done this before."

"You said you did hair masks all the time?"

"No." Bucky snorted, amused. "I mean, just hanging out. I don't know what to do or if I'm doing it wrong."

"You gotta learn to relax," Clint told him, then leaned back against the wall. He quickly sat back up again. "Uh, I got hair mask on the wall."

"I told you to put the hat on."

"Ah, it's fine." Clint waved a hand. "What's one more suspicious white stain on the locker room wall anyways?"

Bucky laughed, and had to hold onto the towel on his head because it was starting to unravel.

"So," Clint said, shifting on the bench and tucking one leg under him, "what sort of date would you want to go on?"

"Dinner?" Bucky suggested, feeling the butterflies in his belly.

"I do like to eat." Clint nodded. "I don't really like restaurants, though. All that murmuring background noise annoys me."

"Oh, right." Bucky frowned, trying to think of something else. Well, fuck. He couldn't go to the movies any more: the dark auditoriums full of people put him on edge, and he hated listening to the rustle of candy or popcorn when he was trying to watch a movie.

"Um," Bucky said, drawing a blank. "I don't mind what we do."

"We could play pool again," Clint said. "That was fun, right?"

Bucky nodded. "That was fun."

"Let's play pool." Clint scratched his head again, then had to wipe off the hair mask stuck to his fingers on his pants. "Actually, I have an idea. You ever shot a bow and arrow before?"

"Have I shot a bow and arrow..." Bucky tried to think, but no memory poked its way to the surface. "No, I don't think I have."

"Excellent." Clint clapped his hands together. "I'll take you to my favorite archery range. We can get drunk and shoot stuff."

He looked so thrilled at the prospect that Bucky smiled too.

"Great," Bucky said, feeling happy. "Can't wait."

The door to the locker room banged open, making them both jump slightly. Natasha stood there, raising an eyebrow as she looked between them.

"What're you doing?" she asked. "You missed the debriefing."

"Oh, no!" Clint mock gasped. "Not the debriefing."

Bucky pressed his lips together so he didn't smile, while Nat gave Clint a flat look in response.

"I'm going to get Widow's bites installed into your mission uniform," Nat said, "so I can shock you whenever I deem it necessary."

Clint chuckled, all low and dirty. "Sounds fun. Do I get to choose where they go?"

The corner of Nat's mouth turned up in an almost smile. "No," she said. "Just hurry up, gentlemen. There's another team briefing in exactly twenty-five minutes, and you're both on sniper duty." She turned to go, then looked back with a perplexed frown. "What're you doing, anyway? What's that white goo?"

"Hair mask," Bucky said.

"Hair mask," Nat repeated, eyes flicking between Bucky and Clint. "And you really had to do this between missions?"

"We were just talking," Bucky said, raising his eyebrows slightly to convey that it was important.

Nat sighed. "You can talk in the Quinjet, which is leaving soon. Chop, chop." Then she opened the door, paused again, and looked back at Bucky with eyebrows raised and lips making a silent 'O'.

 _Yes_ , Bucky tried to convey via facial expression alone, as Nat broke into a grin.

"Well, I'll leave you boys to it," she said, seeming pleased. "Just get your asses to the Quinjet on time."

"Yes, ma'am." Clint saluted, then looked at Bucky with a smile. "Guess we should wash this gunk off our hair?"

Bucky smiled back. "Yes, I guess we should."

Clint got to his feet, and started stretching out his arms with a satisfied groan. "I wonder," he said, trailing off.

"You wonder?" Bucky watched Clint doing his stretches, admiring his ass in the uniform pants.

"I wonder," Clint said lowly, "if those showers will fit us both in at once."

Bucky blinked in surprise, then a slow smile spread across his face. "Guess there's only one way to find out."

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Bonus:_
> 
>  
> 
> "Ow," Clint complained, "the goo went in my eye!"  
> "Hold still," Bucky told him, "I gotta wash it out."  
> "Ow, it stings. Man down!" Clint cried out.  
> "It's just a bit of conditioner..."  
> "Man down!"

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and (nice!) comments fuel me!
> 
> I am on [tumblr](http://jro616.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/jro616).


End file.
